Why science cannot prove your choices are merely illusions
In short: If every neuron fire is just a reaction to a previous physical event, do we actually possess the power of choice? While many assume modern physics demands a deterministic universe, philosopher Richard Swinburne argues that our subjective experience of freedom remains scientifically unprovable and philosophically defensible.
The Oxford University Emeritus Philosophy Professor, Richard Swinburne, disputes the common belief that neuroscience will inevitably negate libertarian free will. The core tension lies in determinism: the idea that if every brain event is caused by a prior physical state, then human choice is nothing more than a biological chain reaction. However, Swinburne argues that science currently lacks the capacity to prove this conclusion as an absolute truth.
Swinburne’s defense of free will is rooted in his metaphysical view of humans as "pure mental substances" or souls. In this framework, humans possess a rich mental life—comprising sensations, thoughts, and intentions—that can both cause and be caused by events in the brain. This suggests a complex psychophysical relationship where mental events are not merely epiphenomena (side effects) of biology but have their own causal agency.
A key nuance in Swinburne's argument involves the "thisness" of individual souls. He posits that because each soul is independent of its universal properties, no scientific law—which by definition deals with universal relations between substances—could explain why a specific soul was connected to a specific body. This distinction suggests that the unique nature of human agency exists in a space that science, which seeks universal patterns, is not designed to map.
Ultimately, Swinburne argues for a libertarian view of free will where humans have the ability to choose between good and evil. By asserting that our choices are not merely illusions but fundamental aspects of being mental substances, he suggests that the existence of such freedom remains a viable possibility that science cannot definitively disprove.
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Sources
- Summary by Intellect · source: Can Science Disprove Free Will? | Richard Swinburne
- Also: Richard Swinburne - Profile on Academia.edu
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